EYBL Dallas - Top Performers

Over the past weekend many of the top players in the class of 2014 and 2015 competed against each other in Plano, TX in the third Nike EYBL session of the spring. While there were many standout games and standout players, here is a look at some of the top performers:

Justin Jackson, 6’7”, 2014, Houston Hoops

Stats: 15.8 PPG, 5.8 RBG, 3.3 APG, 26-48 (54%) FG’s, 3-5 (60%) 3PT

Jackson’s team went 4-0 over the weekend and the lanky wing was a big reason why. In Houston’s biggest game against Expressions Elite, Jackson went for 27 points and 7 rebounds on 11-17 shooting. While on the court, Jackson does a little bit of everything and never tries to go outside his skill set. He can hit the three, but prefers to operate from inside the arc whether it’s shooting his patented mid-range floater, posting up smaller defenders, or slashing to the basket. Jackson’s height and reach help him make up for a lack of strength and those qualities allow him to play an active role as a defender and on the boards. 

Jalen Lindsay, 6’6”, 2014, Southern Stampede

Stats: 18.5 PPG, 5.3 RBG, 25-47 (53%) FG’s, 10-17 (59%) 3PT

Despite being listed as a five-star player, Lindsay often falls under the radar when it comes time to talk about the top wings. Over the weekend, Lindsay quietly performed well averaging 18.5 points and 5.3 rebounds on 53% shooting. In each game he scored between 16 and 20 points with all of his shots coming within the framework of his team’s offense. In his first game of the tournament Lindsay went 3-4 from three and also went 3-4 from three on Saturday night. He mixed in efficient outside shooting with his athletic drives to the basket. At times, he also used his height advantage to post up smaller defenders. While other wings might have received more recognition, Lindsay was the most efficient this weekend. 

Tyus Jones, 6’2”, 2014, Howard Pulley

Stats: 25.5 PPG, 5.0 APG, 1.8 RBG, 36-57 (63%) FG’s, 8-16 (50%) 3PT

While Howard Pulley struggled over the weekend, it was in no fault due to the play of Tyus Jones. In four games, Jones averaged 25.5 points on 63% shooting. On Friday night Jones had a dominant game against CIA Bounce going for 27 points on 11-11 shooting. While he did not have his typical standout game against Joel Berry on Saturday afternoon, he still scored 18 points including several NBA type three’s. In his final game he went for 32 points. Over the years, Jones has always been considered the best point guard in the class of 2014 and he did nothing to dispel that notion in Texas. Some analysts have mentioned his athleticism as a concern, but at one point on Saturday night Jones brought the crowd to its feet with this spectacular dunk:

Malik Newman, 6’3” 2015, Jackson Tigers

Stats: 24.3 PPG, 5.8 RBG, 3.5 APG, 32-68 (47%) FG’s, 9-25 (36%) 3PT

On Saturday afternoon, Newman put on the best scoring barrage seen on the AAU circuit this year and cemented himself as possibly the best scoring guard in high school. Against the talented Spiece Indy team, Newman had all facets of his game working for the first 24 minutes. Attacking the basket off the pick and roll – check, beating his defender for lay-ups – check, hitting floaters down the lane – check, hitting deep jump shots off a curl – check, hitting step back three’s with his defender draped all over him – check. Newman had 22 points at halftime and soon increased this total to 36 with eight minutes to go. At this point in time Newman was shooting 13-16 from the field. Unfortunately this performance caused him to cramp up and forced him to sit for a few minutes before returning to finish 13-20. Overall, Newman averaged 24.4 points per game and proved to be the toughest cover on the perimeter. With his quickness, ball-handling ability, and length, Newman can create a shot anytime he wants and made defenders look helpless all weekend long. 

Jaquan Lyle, 6’4”, 2014, Spiece Indy

Stats: 19.5 PPG, 4.8 RBG, 3.8 APG 29-43 (67%) FG’s, 3-6 (50%) 3PT

Lyle is another standout performer that led his team to a 4-0 record over the weekend. While he plays on an extremely talented team, Lyle managed to shine each game, none more so than his 30 point, 6 rebound, and 4 assist performance Saturday morning. Lyle prefers to operate within the three point line and used his strength and athletic ability to create shots from all areas. In each victory, Lyle shot over 50% from the field.

Tyler Ulis, 5’8”, 2014, Meanstreets

Stats: 21 PPG, 2.5 RBG, 5 APG, 21-40 (53%) FG’s, 8-16 (50%) 3PT

When it comes to being a true floor general, Ulis is at the top of the pack despite usually being the shortest player on the court. Meanstreets suffered two defeats to start the tournament, but quickly turned their play around thanks to Ulis. In the second half against Team Final, the diminutive point guard stepped up by hitting big three’s and creating shots for himself or teammates off dribble penetration. This performance got Meanstreets their first win which was then followed up the next morning by a solid 31 point, 6 assist game against Texas Pro. Once Ulis beats his defender off the dribble he can finish in the lane with a high floater or create contact to get to the free throw line. In four games, Ulis got to the line a remarkable 38 times. He also had better than a 2:1 assist to turnover ratio. He might be small in size, but plays much bigger than listed.

Stanley Johnson, 6’7”, 2014, Oakland Soldiers

Stats: 19.3 PPG, 8 RBG, 27-52 (52%) FG’s

Right now, Johnson would be one of the more physical players in the college game, let alone on the AAU circuit. In all four games he attacked the basket and the boards over and over again scoring no less than 17 points in any game. Against the Oklahoma based Athlete’s First, Johnson took advantage of his weaker opponents by getting them off balance with a right to left crossover and then used his strength to bully his way to the basket for lay-up after lay-up. His outside shot still needs some work as he only shot 3-14 from the three-point line; however is usually uncontainable in the lane.  

Allonzo Trier, 6’3”, 2015, Athlete’s First

Stats: 25.5 PPG, 5.8 RBG, 2.3 APG, 30-71 (42%) FG’s, 7-17 (41%) 3PT

Malik Newman’s 36 point performance was the most impressive sight of the weekend, but Trier bested his point total with a 37 point performance against the St. Louis Eagles. After going for 37 points on a 10-20 performance, he followed this up with a 9-20 performance on his way to 28 points. The current sophomore can shoot the three, but does most of his damage with the ball in his hands and likes to attack the basket (witness his 19 free throw attempts against St. Louis). 

Bonzie Colson, 6’5”, 2014, BABC

Stats: 19 PPG, 2.5 RBG, 33-61 (54%)

The under-sized forward playing for the famed BABC squad played arguably the toughest four game stretch over the weekend going against Meanstreets, Team Takeover, Team Scan, and Houston Hoops. Despite this formidable line-up, Colson and BABC almost handed Takeover their first loss as he went 11-17 from the field for 23 points. In his other games, Bonzie put up totals of 14, 15, and 24; however he rarely got to the free throw line and rarely rebounded the ball. Colson established himself as a top low post scorer but will need to work on other areas of his game to further capture the attention of high major coaches. 

Jahlil Okafor, 6’9”, 2014, Mac Irvin Fire / Cliff Alexander, 6’8”, 2014, Mac Irvin Fire

Stats: 17.3 PPG, 11.5 RBG, 2.3 APG, 29-39 (74%) FG’s, 11-20 (55%) FT’s (Okafor)

Stats: 14.8 PPG, 11.3 RBG, 1.3 APG, 23-40 (58%) FG’s, 13-23 (55%) FT’s (Big Cliff)

The two best big men in Chicago and the country finally joined forces in Plano, TX this weekend, but somehow the Mac Irvin Fire only went 2-2. In their first game together, Okafor and Alexander were dominating down low on their way to a double digit halftime lead. Okafor was scoring off his spin move in the post while Alexander was running the floor and dunking on defenders left and right. Unfortunately, Okafor went out with a sore foot and Mac Irvin gave up their lead in the final minutes losing to ICP. Mac Irvin then went on to lose their next game before putting things together. In their two wins Okafor went for 24 and 10 and 18 and 15, while Alexander went for 11 and 16 and 15 and 7. Okafor provided the post moves down low and recorded a double-double in each game despite not playing over the past month. Alexander led the tournament in dunks over the weekend and was his usual destructive self when catching the ball close to the basket. 

While many top performers were in Dallas this weekend putting up gaudy numbers there were five players that didn’t affect the box score that much but are ones to keep an eye on in the future:

Kobie Eubanks, 6’5”, 2014, Each 1 Teach 1

This small forward came off the bench for E1T1 and had his best game against Howard Pulley scoring 12 points on 5-8 shooting. Eubanks has an athletic build and can also shoot from outside.

Chris Baldwin, 6’8”, 2015, Expressions Elite

Baldwin plays behind the powerful Abdul Malik Abu on the talented AAU squad out of Massachusetts and saved his best game for last scoring nine points on 4-8 shooting. He has a big body and quick feet that will serve him well down the road.

Chimezie Metu, 6’9”, 2015, Oakland Soldiers

In his first EYBL action, Metu got the start in three out of the four Oakland games. The tall center is very raw, but showed glimpses of future potential. In his first game he took down seven rebounds and in his third game he went 4-4 with 8 points and a block. For good measure, Metu hit a three in his final game. He weighs only 210 pounds but runs the floor and has good hands in the post.

EYBL Dallas - Stock Risers

Top Teams:

With three EYBL sessions in the books, only one team remains undefeated in Team Takeover. While the DC based team went 4-0, there were several other teams that went 4-0 as well.

• CP3: Won by an average of 24.8 points per game.
• Each 1 Teach 1: Won by an average of 24 thanks to the new additions of Grayson Allen and Trayvon Reed.
• Spiece Indy: Won by an average of 19.8 including their come from behind victory over the Jackson Tigers.
• Team Scan: Won by an average of 18 points and knocked off Expressions Elite from the undefeated ranks on Friday night.
• Team Takeover: Won by an average of 12.3 points and is 13-0 heading into Minneapolis.

30 Point Performers:

• 37 – Allonzo Trier (10-20 FG’s, 15-19 FT’s)
• 36 – Malik Newman (13-20 FG’s, 6-8 3PT)
• 32 – Tyus Jones (10-17, 4-9 3PT)
• 31 – Tyler Ulis (7-10 FG’s, 2-4 3PT, 15-18 FT’s)
• 31 – Isaiah Briscoe (10-25 FG’s, 10-13 FT’s)
• 30 – Grayson Allen (10-15 FG’s, 4-6 3PT in 18 minutes)
• 30 – Jaquan Lyle (11-15 FG’s, 8-9 FT’s)

Top 5 Stock Risers:

Boubacar Moungoro, 6’6”, 2014, E1T1

Stats: 22-31 (71%) FG’s, 7-11 (64%) 3PT, 13.3 PPG, 3.3 RBG, 2.8 APG

Boubacar Moungoro

Moungoro starts at small forward for one of the most talented teams on the Nike circuit and while his team added Duke commit Grayson Allen as well as center Trayvon Reed he still managed to shine in Plano this past weekend. Standing at 6’6” with a powerful build, Moungoro’s athleticism has never been in question its always been his production level. In his first game, Moungoro went 7-8 from the field and 2-3 from the three point line for 18 points. On Saturday night, he went 7-12 from the field and 4-5 from the three point line for another 18 points. In his four games, he mixed in solid outside shooting with athletic drives to the basket, usually getting to the rim in just one or two dribbles. While he shot 7-11 from the 3-point line, Moungoro only attempted three free throws in four games and pulled down more than four rebounds just once. With his size and strength, one would expect those numbers to increase over time. While Moungoro does not have the status of some of his other teammates, he did play a main role in their 4-0 weekend.

Reid Travis, 6’7”, 2014, Howard Pulley

Stats: 24-49 (49%) FG’s, 20-29 (69%) FTS, 17.3 PPG, 7 RBG

One of the most physically imposing power forwards on the Nike circuit added an offer from UCLA over the weekend to go along with the offers he has already received from a majority of Big 10 and Pac 12 schools. Travis flourished in the low post and attacked the rim with aggression any chance he got. In the first game of the weekend he shot 6-11 which included his lone three pointer for the weekend on his way to 19 points. On Saturday, he started his first game off on fire going against the 7’1” shot blocker in Trayvon Reed. In a matter of minutes, Reid threw down some hard two handed dunks and scored on several short shots in the paint. After his quick explosion, Reid came back down to earth in the second half and then struggled with the twin towers of Jahlil Okafor and Cliff Alexander in the nightcap. Despite struggling Saturday night, Reid had a great game on Sunday with 26 points and 9 rebounds on 11-15 shooting. As a coveted football recruit, Reid possesses a certain strength not usually seen on kids his age. He got to the line almost seven times a game and was always active on both ends of the court.

Benny Boatwright, 6’8”, 2015, Cal Supreme

Stats: 22-47 (47%) FG’s, 12-32 (38%) 3PT, 18 PPG, 8.3 RBG

The skinny 6’8” small forward from Southern California struggled on Friday night in his team’s blowout win, but came to play in the other 3 games. Against Alabama on Friday, Boatwright went 2-11 and 0-7 from three, but the rest of the weekend he knocked in 12 three-pointers while averaging 22 points and 9 rebounds on 56% shooting. Boatwright has a quick release on his shot and runs the floor well. Despite his frame, Boatwright was aggressive on the boards pulling in nine on Saturday night and 13 in a rivalry game with the Oakland Soldiers. Boatwright’s shooting ability is rare at his size and as he adds strength will most likely move up the ranks in the class of 2015.

Ed Simpson, 6’4”, 2014, Jackson Tigers

Stats: 16-40 (40%) FG’s, 9-22 (41%) 3PT, 11.3 PPG, 2.8 RBG, 1.3 APG

Ed Simpson

Simpson had his best day on Saturday scoring 24 points on five threes in a morning win against the Oakland Soldiers and then scored 13 against Spiece Indy during Malik Newman’s scoring explosion. Over the entire weekend Simpson hit 41% from deep despite struggling a bit in games 1 and 4. When Newman left the game against Spiece due to cramps with eight minutes to go, Simpson stepped up as the go-to guy on the Tigers. Simpson hit a few big shots but it wasn’t enough to hold off Trey Lyles down low. To go along with an impressive shooting stroke, Simpson has good size and athletic ability for a Division One shooting guard. He received his first offer from Boston University a few weeks ago.

Terry Larrier, 6’8”, 2014, Team Scan

Stats: 13-23 (57%) FG’s, 10.3 PPG, 3.7 RBG

Larrier is the same size and weight as Benny Boatwright but has a drastically different game. While Boatwright is a shooter, Larrier can be classified as a slasher. On Saturday, he came off the bench for Team Scan to score 10 and 17 points in two victories. In his third game of the tournament Larrier went 8-12 from the field. Throughout the weekend, both his agility in running the court and quickness slashing to the basket were on display. Despite the skinny frame, Larrier poses a threat on defense with his long arms and quick feet.

EYBL - Dallas: Day 2

Top Match-Up:

Tyus Jones (2014 - #1 PG) vs. Joel Berry (2014 - #3 PG)

Two of the top point guards in the country got to go against each other on Saturday afternoon and the match-up did not disappoint. Joel Berry held the strength advantage with a powerful upper body while Jones countered with his long arms and reach. Berry started the game off with a strong drive to the right side resulting in a contested three footer, while Jones quickly answered with a right handed drive of his own off a pick and roll. Both players were aggressive on defense early on and Berry picked Jones’ pocket twice as he tried to perform a left to right crossover. The first steal turned into a fast break lay-up attempt while the second led to an easy basket for a teammate. Not to be outdone, Jones put pressure on Berry near the sideline at one point and forced him to step out of bounds while trying to avoid the trouble. As Howard Pulley started to fall farther and farther behind, Jones picked up the full court pressure which Berry handled and turned into easy assists for teammates. Jones tried to counter with two NBA range three-pointers. At the end of the day, the two top point guards battled to an individual draw, although Berry seemed to play the aggressor more often than not. As E1T1 pulled away for an easy win with their abundance of talent, Berry set the tone with 10 points and 11 assists on 5-8 shooting. After a remarkable Friday night, Jones finished with 18 points on 6-10 shooting but turned the ball over five times

Best Individual Performance:

Malik Newman, 6’4”, G, 2015, Jackson Tigers

Malik Newman - Top Player in the Class of 2015?

This time last year, Malik Newman made his first EYBL appearance and quickly dropped 26 points on 8-12 shooting against Baltimore Elite. Fast forward one year and Newman came into the Dallas tournament as one of the EYBL leading scorers. In his first Saturday game, Newman went up against the Oakland Soldiers and their 2015 star Ivan Rabb. Newman went for 20 points and 5 rebounds on 8-15 shooting in a 75-71 win which turned out to be a warm-up for his afternoon performance. Against Spiece Indy, he was unconscious. Despite facing one of the top teams with numerous Division One players, Newman scored at will. Whether it was aggressive drives to the basket, mid-range floaters, or step back contested threes, Newman could not be contained. 22 points in the first half quickly turned into 36 points early on in the second before muscle cramps set in and rendered Newman useless over the final stanza. Despite the cramps, Newman’s 24 minute stretch was a thing of beauty. The whole Spiece team knew he was getting the ball, but once the ball touched his hands the defense was helpless. With his performance on Saturday, Newman served notice that he should be considered for top dog status in the class of 2015 as well as the top scorer in the EYBL.

Best Individual Performance – Runner Up:

Jayson Tatum, 6’5”, G, 2016, St. Louis Eagles 16U

While Newman put up a fantastic performance in the EYBL, Tatum was putting up his own spectacular game 30 minutes away in the first round of the playoffs for the Next Level National tournament. Tatum started to knock down open jumpers in the second half coupled with impressive forays to the basket. On almost every second half possession Tatum scored including two free throws with two seconds left to force overtime. At the end of the day, Tatum’s St. Louis team came away with the win and he finished with a remarkable 38 points. Not bad for a freshman.

EYBL Dallas - Day 1

The third EYBL session got underway on Friday night with many new high powered additions suiting up for various teams. Despite trying to incorporate new players into the fold there were competitive games and upsets littered throughout the 32 game schedule at the sparkling Fieldhouse in Frisco, TX.

Game of the Night:

NY Lightning 75 NJ Playaz 73 (OT)

Khadeen Carrington

One of the main rivalry games took place Friday night with the New York Lightning outlasting their northeast counterpart in overtime. The Lightning were aggressive early on and attacked the Playaz from the opening tip building a quick 14-3 lead. Despite the early deficit the Playaz squad picked up their pressure and battled back to trim the lead to 33-35 at the half. After a back and forth second half, the Playaz finally took the lead behind the hot shooting of Isaiah Whitehead and looked to have the game under control in the last few minutes before quickly relinquishing a five point lead which forced the only overtime session of the night. With the game tied at 67 entering the extra period, the NY Lightning took early control keeping the Playaz scoreless for the first few minutes and hung on to a 75-73 victory. The Lightning got strong play on the inside and outside with three players reaching double figures. Guard Khadeen Carrington attacked the basket in an impressive fashion and the 6’1” Mike Williams knocked in three shots from deep showing off an extremely quick release. The tall and powerful frontcourt of the Lightning also had their moments led by Angel Delgado’s 15 points and 16 rebounds. Delgado also got help from 6’8” Ben Bentil and 6’10 Jessie Govan. On the opposing side, Whitehead and Isaiah Briscoe combined for 54 points for the Playaz as the two standout guards were playing just their second tournament together. Whitehead knocked down four three pointers while Briscoe attacked the basket and hit contested pull-up jumpers while constantly yelling “Knock Down” in the defenders face. While the game had the looks of a blowout early on, the rivalry game quickly turned into the game of the night.

Upset of the Night:

ICP 77 Mac Irvin 72

Jahlil Okafor and Cliff Alexander, the two most dominant big men in the class of 2014 finally took the court together last night for the Chicago based Mac Irvin Fire in what was supposed to be the first of many blowout wins. With Okafor scoring at will in the low post and Alexander running the floor and dunking on helpless defenders it seemed as though the route was on. Apparently someone forgot to tell the 2-7 ICP team from Portland and their new influx of Southern California talent. Despite a Mac Irvin dunk fest in the first half, Kameron Chatman banked in a three-quarter court heave to trim the halftime deficit to just 11 points. The dunk fest continued early on in the second half, but Daniel Hamilton and Tyler Dorsey out of St. John Bosco kept the deficit at a reasonable amount. In the last eight minutes, Okafor exited with what looked to be a sore ankle and Dorsey began getting to the basket at will. ICP took their first lead with two minutes to play and hit free throws down the stretch to clinch their upset victory. Dorsey led the way with 20 points on only nine shots, while Hamilton and Chatman contributed 19 and 16, respectively. For Mac Irvin, Alexander finished with another double-double (18 points, 11 rebounds) and Okafor contributed 14 points and 10 rebounds in his limited second half.  

Players of Interest:

Grayson Allen, 6’4”, 2014, Each 1 Teach 1 – Allen came off the bench in one of the first games of the evening but still managed to finish with 30 points on 10-15 shooting. In the first EYBL session, Allen started off playing for the Southern Stampede but after a lackluster performance switched teams and joined up with Each 1 Teach 1. Playing solely on the wing, Allen knocked in his first few outside shots and got himself to the line by attacking the basket. After scoring seven points in his first set of playing time, Allen went off from deep towards the end of the first half nailing back to back three pointers from the left wing. He only missed one shot in the first half and continued his hot start in the second half in what turned to be a 34 point blowout win. 

Joel Berry, 6’2”, 2014 Each 1 Teach 1 – Berry led his talented team to a quick start by knocking in his only three of the game to go along with a picturesque one dribble pull-up jumper from 16 feet. In the first half, Berry used his powerful upper body to get into the paint and create open shots for his teammates in a blowout win.

Boubacar Moungoro, 6’6”, 2014, Each 1 Teach 1 – The powerful Moungoro had it firing on all cylinders early on going 2-3 from three and 7-8 from the field to finish with 18 points. Moungoro used his strength and athleticism to blow by his defender on the wing and finish in the lane off just one or two dribbles. 

Zylan Cheatham, 6’7”, 2014, Cal Supreme – Cheatham is one of the hottest names on the West Coast and he certainly did not disappoint on the opening night. In a blowout win over the Alabama Challenge, Cheatham went for 15 points and 7 rebounds on 7-7 shooting. 

Julian Richardson, 6’3”, 2014, Cal Supreme – With Alabama still hanging around in the second half, Richardson took it upon himself to put the game out of reach hitting all three of his three-pointers in a two minute span for one of the most impressive hot streaks of the night. Richardson finished with 15 points on just 4-11 shooting, but quickly eliminated any Alabama thoughts of a comeback.

Devin Booker, 6’5”, 2014, Alabama Challenge – The talented shooting guard struggled to put the ball in the basket against Cal Supreme going 6-18 from the field and 1-6 from behind the arc but still showed remarkable improvement from this time last year when he was content to stay outside the three point line. Booker handled the ball a decent amount and showed off his increased strength and confidence getting into the lane for close shots around the basket. Last year, Booker looked to be strictly an outside jump shooter, but now he looks to have a much more well rounded game. 

Skal Labisserre, 6’9”, 2015, Team Penny – The talented sophomore was impressive in a blowout win over Boo Williams going for 10 points and 10 rebounds in just 19 minutes. Labisserre was extremely active around the basket using his length to finish shots inside the paint.

Other Notes:

2015 guard Malik Newman got to the free throw line 18 times against the St. Louis Eagles and he converted on 15 of those attempts. The constant trips to the line for Newman might have been one of the reasons that the Eagles were running suicides after the game.

The top point guard in the country had a nice little 27 point, 7 assist performance against CIA Bounce. Tyus Jones did this in 28 minutes and went 11-11 from the field. He will face off against Joel Berry on Saturday.